2015 Annual List of Favorite Entertainment Experiences
Category
1: Live Theater
Some of the most compelling
entertainment this year was seen on stage, so let me start there: two musicals need to be seen by everyone—for
very different reasons.
I’m not sure
I’ve ever been more thrilled (and elucidated) by live theater than by Hamilton. Yes, I’m obsessed. There’s so much hype; yes, believe it! It’s a Broadway game-changer. Who would have thought a musical about an
American founding father could pack so much history, intrigue, and emotion into
its words & music. The answer lies in the brilliant Lin-Manual Miranda who
makes history come alive by telling the story of yesterday with a mostly
non-white cast that looks like America of today while masterfully incorporating
rap, hip-hop, R & B, and jazz with contemporary Broadway. Not to be missed.
(If you can’t get a ticket, at least listen to the soundtrack.)
At the other end of the spectrum is Dear
Evan Hansen, which I caught in WDC and goes to Off-Broadway this
spring. A touching, funny and endearing coming-of-age
tale set in today’s social media-obsessed landscape. It packs an emotional wallop due in large
part to the performance of HW alum Ben Platt ’11; it begs to be seen by all
parents and their teenage children.
Category
2: Films Based on Reality
The Big Short—Anchorman
writer/director Adam McKay + Michael Lewis’s bestseller + fantastic cast of
Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, et. al. = entertaining and tragically
funny film that simplifies the complexities of credit-default swaps and CDOs of
the housing credit bubble that burst in 2008.
Straight Outta Compton—Brash, bold, and powerful origin pic of N.W.A. with a
terrific cast, including Ice Cube’s doppelganger son.
Steve
Jobs—Tremendous performance by Michael
Fassbender (and also Kate Winslet) in this seriously under-appreciated Aaron
Sorkin written/Danny Boyle directed biopic that feels like an intimate, talky
three-act play.
Sicario—OK, not based on reality in the traditional sense…or at
least that we’re aware of. Don’t miss
this utterly intense and gripping moral kick- to-the-stomach starring a great
Emily Blunt as an idealistic FBI agent in an amorphous interagency operation
against the Mexican drug cartel. Josh
Brolin and Benicio del Toro are equally good.
Category
3: Tales of Survival: Extraterrestrial, Terrestrial, and Other
While totally different, these are
visually stunning films about survival in harsh but beautiful settings.
The Martian—Ridley Scott is back in top form, directing a terrific Matt
Damon stranded on the Red Planet in this entertaining and at times, humorous,
tale of survival.
The Revenant—This is one truly brutal and harsh yet beautiful film from
Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Inspired by true
events, Leonardo DiCaprio fights off arrows, snow storms, freezing rapids, team
betrayal, and a particularly brutal bear attack to avenge family and find
redemption. (I’m sure Mars is colder
than Canada, but DiCaprio sure looked colder than Matt Damon.)
Mad Max: Fury Road—I’m not sure what world or planet this is on, but Charlize
Theron’s Imperator Furiosa takes us on one terrific, non-stop, post-apocalyptic
thrill ride. This is a vividly imaginative spectacle that caught me off guard
with its heart and (feminist) soul amid its wildness.
Category
4: Some Heart and Soul
Inside Out—A beautiful, emotionally satisfying, and sophisticated
winner from Pixar/Disney about those voices in your head. Kids love it, but adults will love it
more.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl—A
funny/teary, appealing little film that’s a quirky take on the coming-of-age
movie that avoids genre clichés.
Category
5: Queer Period Pieces (1920s, 1950s,
1960s)
The Danish Girl—Poignant film about the true story of Einar Wegener/Lili
Elbe, one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Touching performances by the ever-morphing Eddie
Redmayne as Einar/Lili and especially Alicia Vikander as his soul-bearing wife
(you should also catch her in the sleek, cat-and-mouse A.I. tale Ex
Machina).
Carol—Todd Hayne seductively and lushly captures an era (early
1950s) and a love that dare not speak its name with outstanding performances by
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
Best of Enemies—Couldn’t resist putting this doc with Vidal in this
category. Totally enthralling and
spell-binding doc about the towering public intellects of their day, Gore Vidal
and William F. Buckley, Jr, as their ten live televised debates through the 1968
political conventions changed TV forever and gave rise to the political
punditry of today (which lacks the legitimate intellectual firepower of these
two egos).
Category
6: Something Outrageous: A British Spy Caper, a Western, and Some
Argentinian Loco
Kingsman: The Secret Service—Just a fun, entertaining film with a particularly
over-the-top climax that evokes early James Bond in a subversive and stylish
way. Good-guy Colin Firth and bad-guy Samuel L. Jackson as you haven’t seen
before.
The Hateful Eight—As an unabashed Quentin Tarantino fan, his 8th film
admittedly starts slowly (including a 3 minute overture and 12 minute
intermission), but this carefully crafted tale of bounty hunter/prisoner/sheriff/hangman/
confederate and others trapped in a mountaintop stagecoach stopover during a
blizzard doesn’t disappoint in the end.
Wild Tales—Crazy, wacky anthology of six short tales. Each exquisitely
told story begins mundanely and quickly unravels into sudden, black comedic insanity. The less said, the better. If you’re looking
for something off-beat and darkly humorous, this Argentinian film is for
you.
Category
7: Documentaries
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst—OMG. Totally mesmerizing
six-part truth-is-stranger-than-fiction doc about the billionaire scion Robert
Durst, his missing wife and 2 dead bodies.
Finding Vivian Maier—Fascinating doc about one of the greatest street
photographers who ever lived…and whose work was never seen (and often never
even developed) during her lifetime. This detective tale unravels the mystery
of this obscure photog nanny whose work was only luckily uncovered in a
storage-locker auction.
Listen to Me Marlon—An intimate look into Brando’s tormented life, narrated by
Brando himself, culled from archival video, photos and, most fascinatingly, his
hours of audio recordings that served as his self-analysis.
City of Gold—A special treat for foodies, this doc about Pulitzer
Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold is an ode to the city of Los Angeles
and its vast bounty of ethnic foods and restaurants.
The Search for General Tso—A decidedly personal choice as one who grew up in a Chinese
restaurant. Ever wonder about the origin
of the popular dish General Tso’s Chicken? People in the famous general’s Hunan hometown
have no idea. While you get find the
answer, you learn about the history of Chinese-American food in America.
Category
8: Worth mentioning and other guilty
pleasures
Great performances by HW alums Jason Segel
’97 in the soulful The End of the Tour and Jake Gyllenhaal ’98 in Southpaw. Other
movies include Bridge of Spies, Going Clear, Joy, Star Wars: Episode VII, Spectre, St.
Vincent, Chuck Norris vs. Communism.
And on TV: How to Get Away With Murder,
Transparent, Black Orphan, Homeland, Veep, Silicon Valley, Ray Donovan, Game of Thrones, Wet Hot
American Summer: First Day of Camp, A Bite of China.
Film queue: Spotlight, Brooklyn, Room, Anomalisa, The
Walk, Where to Invade Next, Son of Saul and in TV queue: Mr. Robot,
Scandal, Hannibal, Narcos.
#favoritemovies2015